5 CISO Mistakes When Crossing Into OT: A Practical Guide

Welcome to the podcast version of "A CISO's Guide to OT Security" by Chris McLaughlin. This episode explains why IT-led security programs often struggle in operational technology (OT) environments and sets the stage for a practical, CISO-focused series to build industrial security programs.

The episode outlines five common mistakes CISOs make when interacting with OT teams: not understanding OT priorities (safety and availability), undervaluing OT engineers' knowledge, incorrect assumptions about OT patching, excluding OT from incident response planning, and not applying OT-specific security frameworks.

Listeners will learn the CIA + S concept (confidentiality, integrity, availability, plus safety), the importance of IT/OT collaboration through plant tours and tabletop exercises, risk-based patching strategies, and framework recommendations such as ISA/IEC 62443 and NIST 800-82.

This is the first of a 10-episode series mapped to the forthcoming book due in 2026, designed for audio so you can consume individual chapters or follow the series in order. Subscribe for future episodes and practical guidance on building a sustainable industrial security program.